To Sky City!
by Almost an Actress
Summary: Rainbow Dash, left stunned and hurt after the Mare-Do-Well incident, flees to a magnificent Pegasus-only city called Sky City with Scootaloo. There, she learns what love is, finds family in unexpected places, and adventure all over. But will she ever forgive and forget? (Please R and R. Contains SoarinDash and LunaMac. AppleDash if you look through a microscope.)


Rainbow Dash pounced on the purple and black-clad figure. She grabbed their mask in her teeth and tugged hard. "Alright, Miss Mysterious! Mystery solved!" she cried triumphantly. When she saw the cotton candy-maned pony under the mask, her jaw dropped nearly to the ground. "Ahh!" she gasped aloud. "P-P-P-Pinkie?!"

The pink Earth pony looked up with a sheepish, guilty smile.

Rainbow Dash stammered some nonsense sounding slightly like, "Wha-wha-bu-but-_huh_?!" Suddenly, a carbon copy of The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well lying at her hooves appeared before her. She took off her mask. It was Twilight!

Rainbow's face went slack. Another Mare-Do-Well appeared. She pulled off her mask as well. "Twilight?! Applejack?! There were _three_ of you?!" she cried, disbelieving.

Twilight offered a smile. "Yep! We all played Mare-Do-Well at different times."

Applejack gave a confident grin. "Ah stopped the carriage with these babies," she said, kicking out her strong back legs. "Buck McGillicuty and Kicks McGee!"

Pinkie Pie gave a hyper smile. "I saved the construction workers with my Pinkie Sense." Suddenly, her head and tail started vibrating, her eyes going wide and her tail puffing out. She pushed the stunned rainbow Pegasus aside just as a flower pot crashed down from somewhere above them.

"Sorry!" a concerned hot pink mare cried from a window.

Pinkie grinned up at her. "It's s'alright."

"I used my magic to fix the dam," Twilight interjected.

Fluttershy came in, waving a hoof. "Ooh! Ooh! And I did the flyby afterwards," she said excitedly.

"I made the costumes; fabulous if I do say so myself!" Rarity butted in proudly.

Rainbow Dash looked at her friends, heartbroken. "Why would you do something like that?" she asked. "That's cruel."

"Huh?" Twilight puzzled. She looked as utterly confused as Rainbow had ever seen.

"What?" Rainbow snarled. "Did you just expect me to think it was okay that you stole my spotlight? That the _one time_ the entire town pays attention to me, you ruin it? That my own best friends betrayed me?!" Her voice was rising in pitch, angrily squeaking. "How could you do that?"

"Look, sugar cube," Applejack began, "ya got a little bigheaded, is all."

"That's it?!" Rainbow Dash shrieked. "That's it?! Why couldn't I enjoy my fifteen minutes of fame without you all running it?!"

Fluttershy looked wounded. "But we-" she whimpered.

Rainbow Dash glared at her sensitive friend. "Whatever. 'But we' nothing!" And with that, she flew away as fast as she could.

XXX

The orange filly leaned down on her front legs and wiggled her haunches. "I'll do it this time," she whispered fiercely. "For you, Rainbow Dash. For you." She flapped her tiny wings as hard as she could until they created a blur. The sound they made was similar to a changeling's wings. A lot of the fillies made fun of her for that, but the colts thought it was cool. She put on a cocky grin. She rose about a foot off the ground when her wings started to vaguely ache. She was breathing in short, fast little puffs, blowing her cheeks out like balloons. She continued to fly until she reached three feet.

Four feet.

Five feet.

Six feet.

Seven feet.

"YES!" the little filly bellowed, and lost her concentration. Her wings froze and she stopped breathing. She tumbled to the ground and hit it hard. She sniffed and tried not to cry. Her legs were scraped up and her nose was bloody. "Rainbow Dash wouldn't cry. She'd get up and start again. She would! AND THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO!" she hollered.

Scootaloo's wings buzzed again, fiercer and burning this time. She kept her breathing hard and even. She made it to seven feet in the blink of an eye. She rose to thirteen feet in two seconds. Before she knew it, her head bumped against a soft, pillowy surface. Scoots gasped and almost plummeted. She'd made it Rainbow Dash's house! She climbed on the cloud and marveled at how strange it felt under her hooves. Soft and puffy, yet solid and strong. She trotted over to the cloud house and knocked on the downy door. There was no answer. "Dash? Dashie? Rainbow Dash? Rainbow?" Scootaloo tried all of her idol's nicknames before deciding she wasn't home. "Well, that's fine," she grumped. "I'm staying here 'til Rainbow gets home! Yeah, that's what I'll do!"

Suddenly, a cyan and rainbow blur landed on the cloud. It was Rainbow Dash! But something was different. Her eyes strangely shiny and her cheeks were damp with her falling tears. "Wh-what's wrong?" Scoots stammered.

Dash, startled, didn't manage to wipe her tears. The only sound that came out of her mouth was a sob. Finally, she composed herself. "Scoots," she said around her weeping, "what're you doing here?"

Scoots seemed to forget her idol's problems. "Dashie! I flew up here all by myself!"

Rainbow Dash did something then she never did. She gave the young pony a hug. It was hard and crushing, but Scoots didn't care. She wrapped her forelegs around the bright blue pony and hugged her fiercely. Rainbow Dash cried into the little pony's fur. Scoots could feel her pelt getting wetter and wetter, but never wanted to end the hug. Finally, the older Pegasus pulled away first.

"Sorry, kiddo. I-I dunno what got into me there," she chuckled, wiping away her tears. "Good job on flying up here. We'll have to cut this visit short, I'm afraid. I've gotta pack." She walked inside her house.

Scoots persistently followed her. "Where are you going?"

"On a trip." Rainbow Dash grabbed a suitcase and began stuffing belongings into it.

"How long are you gonna be gone?"

"Indefinitely."

"What does that mean?"

"Look it up."

"Where?"

"In the dictionary."

"Okay. Where are you going?" Scootaloo had no intention to look anything up in a dictionary. She hated reading at the best of times.

"Somewhere that's not here."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Why?"

"_Because_."

"Because why?"

Rainbow Dash whipped around. "BECAUSE MY "FRIENDS" BETRAYED ME!" She turned back around and fumed while Scoots was left to ponder her idol's harsh words.

"Your "friends" suck," she said plainly.

Rainbow Dash offered a wry chuckle and finished packing. "I'm going to Sky City."

"Where?" Scoots asked, cocking her head.

"It's a Pegasi-only city."

Scoots offered an unimpressed look. "Like Cloudsdale?"

"It's much, much bigger. Look, I've gotta go now. I'll miss you, squirt."

"I'm going with you!" Scoots blurted. She splayed her tiny wings and leaned forward on her front legs, trying to look menacing. "I'm going with you or… or… you're not leaving!"

Rainbow Dash laughed meanly and flew over Scootaloo's head. "Easy."

Scootaloo screamed in frustration. "Don't go, Dashie!" she cried, her eyes welling up.

Dash flew to her. "Look, kid… I-"

"I don't have a home! I don't even have parents! Please, nopony will miss me!"

"What about your little club? The Cutie Mark Finders, or whatever?"

"Crusaders," Scootaloo corrected. "And… er, their big sisters betrayed you! So… so I hate them!" _Sorry Sweetie Bell. Sorry Apple Bloom,_ she silently apologized.

"Then c'mon," Dash said wearily. "But I've got some guidelines, okay? You'll be treated like a Pegasus my age. No more "squirt" and "kiddo" for you. You're a full grown Pegasus to me. Can you handle the responsibility?"

Scoots gave a sharp nod. "Yes!"

"Good. We've got a goodbye in order."

XXX

The sun was beginning to set over the farm. Applejack looked up at the sky sadly. She couldn't belive that her best friend had taken their plan so badly. "Ah'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash." Just as the whispered the words, she heard the softest of landings behind her.

"Hey, AJ. I… I just wanted to say goodbye," Rainbow Dash said, looking down at the ground and scuffing a hoof.

"G'bye?" Applejack questioned. "Why g'bye?"

"I'm going away. To Sky City. With Scootaloo." Her words came in short, halting sentences. "Scootaloo wanted to come. She's gonna say goodbye to Bloom. I… I'll miss you AJ!" She threw her forelegs around her stunned country friend, and saw that Scootaloo was hugging Apple Bloom in a similar manner.

With that, the two lone Pegasi flew into the sky.

XXX

"Why did you say goodbye to Applejack?" Scootaloo asked from Rainbow Dash's back.

"It's a long story, kid."


End file.
